From <http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/cc144175.aspx>
or <http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/cc144101.aspx>:

| Note: If any element of the command string contains or might contain
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
| spaces, it must be enclosed in quotation marks. Otherwise, if the
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
| element contains a space, it will not parse correctly. For instance,
| "My Program.exe" starts the application properly. If you use
| My Program.exe without quotation marks, then the system attempts to
| launch My with Program.exe as its first command line argument. You
| should always use quotation marks with arguments such as "%1" that are
| expanded to strings by the Shell, because you cannot be certain that
| the string will not contain a space.

These command lines run the rogue program C:\Program.exe whenever the
user double-clicks an associated file with the credentials of the user.

Since every user account created during Windows setup has administrative
rights every user owning such an account can create the rogue program,
resulting in a privilege escalation.

JFTR: no, the "user account control" is not a security boundary!

From <http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2526083>:

| Same-desktop Elevation in UAC is not a security boundary and can be hijacked
| by unprivileged software that runs on the same desktop. Same-desktop
| Elevation should be considered a convenience feature, and from a security
| perspective, "Protected Administrator" should be considered the equivalent
| of "Administrator."

JFTR: this bugs only exists since Microsoft "masks" it.
See <http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/ms682425.aspx> for this
well-known idiosyncrasy:

| For example, consider the string "c:\program files\sub dir\program name".
| This string can be interpreted in a number of ways.
| The system tries to interpret the possibilities in the following order:
| c:\program.exe files\sub dir\program name
| c:\program files\sub.exe dir\program name
| c:\program files\sub dir\program.exe name
| c:\program files\sub dir\program name.exe

Without this kludge this beginners error would get caught upon
the very first use of any of these command lines.

"Long" filenames containing spaces exist for about 20 years in Windows.
It's REALLY time that every developer and every QA engineer knows how
to handle them properly.

If you detect such silly beginners errors: report them and get them fixed.
If the vendor does not fix them: trash the trash!

regards
Stefan Kanthak

PS: for static detection of these silly beginners errors download and
run <http://home.arcor.de/skanthak/download/SLOPPY.CMD>

To catch all instances of this beginners error download
<http://home.arcor.de/skanthak/download/SENTINEL.CMD>,
<http://home.arcor.de/skanthak/download/SENTINEL.DLL> and
<http://home.arcor.de/skanthak/download/SENTINEL.EXE>, then read
and run the script SENTINEL.CMD

PPS: to fix these beginners errors for QuickTime (and iTunes too),
download <http://home.arcor.de/skanthak/download/QUICKTIME.CMD>
resp. <http://home.arcor.de/skanthak/download/ITUNES.CMD> and
run these scripts.
Dont forget to rerun them after every update of QuickTime or
iTunes ... until Apple fixes their crapware!